Refuse loader and compactor



Feb. 9, 1965 D. E. WENGER REFUSE LOADER AND commcwog 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 8, 1961 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Feb. 9, 1965 D. E. WENGER 3,168,957

REFUSE LOADER AND COMPACTOR Filed Nov. 8, 1961 5 SheetsSheet 2 FIG. 2 FIG. 3

70 70 so as 64 FIG. 4 L16 625 FIG. 5

aa- I FIG. 6

INVENTOR.

DAVID E. WENGER AT TORNEYS Feb. 9, 1965 D. E. WENGER REFUSE LOADER AND COMPACTOR 5 SheetsSheet 4 Filed Nov. 8, 1961 FIG. IO

IN V EN TOR.

DAVID E. WENGER MQWM ATTORNEYS Feb. 9,1965

Filed NOV. 8, 1961 FIG. 12

D. E. WENGER REFUSE LOADER AND COMPACTOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. II

INVENTOR.

DAVID E. WENGER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,168,957 I REFUSE LUADER AND (SGMPACTOR David E. Wenger, South Bend, Ind. (1707 E. 1st Place, Mesa, Ariz.) Filed Nov. 8, 1951, Ser. No. 151,018 Claims. (Cl. 214-833) The present invention relates to a refuse truck, and

more particularly to a loader and load compactor therefor.

After each load of refuse is dumped into a conventional loader for a refuse truck, the loader cycles, compressing the refuse and forcing it into the body of the truck, then stops and :waits for the next load of refuse. The cycle requires a minimum of twelve seconds, while dumping refuse into the loader between cycles often requires a minute or more. Because of these delays, the collection of refuse is slow, particularly when large amounts are found in one place, for example in the trash piles of large stores and ofiioe buildings. Therefore, one of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a refuse loader and compactor which operates continuously and which may be loaded at any time during its operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a continuously operating loader which compresses the refuse by utilizing the weight of the refuse already in the truck.

A further object of the invention is to provide a loader and compressor of the above type which is non-clogging, and which is easily cleaned and repaired.

Still another object is to provide a loader which is mechanically simple and contains relatively few moving parts and no delicate parts, and which may be readily modified to fit a variety of truck bodies.

. An additional object of the present invention is to provide a loader and compressor for a refuse truck which allows the refuse to be easily dumped into it without the operators of the truck having to lift the box or can of trash more than two or three feet or having to touch the refuse itself.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational and diagrammatical view of a refuse truck with one embodiment of my loader mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a pusher plate employed in the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a back elevational view of the pusher plate;

FIGURE4 is a bottom plan view of the pusher plate;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of one of two jackshafts used in the invention;

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of the other of the two jackshafts;

FIGURE 7 is an end elevational view of a portion of the driving mechanism of the present loader;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of one of the driving discs and a spur gear used to turn it;

FIGURE 9 is a back elevational view of a refuse truck body with a second embodiment of the invention mounted therein;

FIGURE 10 is a cross sectional view, taken on line 19-1tl of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a cross sectional view of a modification of the mechanism of the invention shown with shielding, taken on the same line as FIGURE 10; and

FIGURE 12 is a cross sectional view of the modified and 78 turn on axles 80, running in bearings 82 attached form of FIGURE ll taken on line 1212 of FIGURE 11. Referring to FIGURE 1, 20 designates a refuse truck having wheels 22 and operatedby a driver seated in ings (not shown) for the ends of jackshaft 94.

to operate jackshaft 94 and ultimately pusher plate 36 'is invention. When the body of the truck is to be emptied at the end of a refuse collecting run, endgat e 26 is lifted about pivot 30 by hydraulic cylinders or other suitable means (not shown), and the refuse removed from body 28 through the resultant opening by any convenient means, such'as dumping.

In the mechanism of the invention, a pusher plate 36 is retained in a vertical position and moved by driving discs 48, 42, 44 and 46, all of equal size, discs 40 and 44 and discs 42 and 46, respectively, being coaxial on opposite ends of the pusher plate. End 4-8 of plate 36 is connected pivo tally to the discs by pivots 58 and 52,.

and end 54 by pivots 56 and 58. Pivots 52 and 58 are spaced a short distance from the bottom of the plate, and pivots and 56 are an equal short distance from the top of plate 36. The pivots are all spaced the same distance radially from the edge of the discs 40, 42, 44

and 46. Thus, when the discs rotate at the same rate.

and in the same direction, pusher plate 36 is carried vertically bythem, and every point of the pusher plate describes a circle parallel to the planes of the driving discs.

Pusher plate 36 includes a back plate 6% with a horizontal splash guard 62 extending outwardly from the top of one face 64 of plate 60, as seen in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. Extending from the center of back plate on face 66, at a right angle to the plane of splash guard 62, is a spacer 68, while rods extend from the two ends48 and54 of the back plate of pusher plate 36 to the outer edge of spacer 68. Back plate 60, spacer 68 and rods 70 form a triangular structure which gives pusher plate 36 strength and rigidity under the pressure of refuse. All of the joints between the parts of pusher plate 36 are welded or otherwise securely and rigidly fastened.

To turn the driving discs, a gear 74 is attached rigidly to the back of each of the upper discs 40 and 44, and a gear 76 to each of the lower discs 42 and 46. The mechanism and operation on only one end of the pusher plate will bedescribed, since the two ends are similar. As seen in FIGURE 7, an idler gear 78 transfers power between gears '74 and 76. Hence, in operation the two gears turn and move their respective drive discs in the same direction. Further, gears I4 and 76 are the same size, and thus operate at the same rate. Gears 74, 76

to side 84 of endgate 26; axles 88 are coplanar in a vertical plane. Suitable chain drive mechanisms may be used in place of the gears if desired.

Jackshaft 86 having pairs of spur gears 88 and mounted rigidly together on each end is rotatably mounted directly above in the same plane as axles 80. Gear 88 operably engages gear 74, while gear 90 is welded to the back of gear 88, and the two gears are welded to the jackshaft, the whole assembly rotating as a. unit.

shaft 94. This jackshaft is mounted at the exact center of the arcdescribed by endgate 26 when it opens to allow the removal of refuse. Therefore, pivots 34 contain bear- Power supplied through gear 96, welded or'otherwise rigidly secured to the center of jackshaft 94 and turned by a conventional motor (not shown) .mounted on body 28 of the truck. Jackshafts 86 and 94 run in suitable bearings, as suggested by bearings 98 and 99. Jackshaft 86 may be made fixed with gears 88 and 5 0 turning freely on it, but jackshaft 94 must turn with its gears in orderto I transmit powerequally to both of gears 92, and jaclrshaft 94 turns independently of the position or motion of endgate 26.

Patented Feb. 9, 1965,

.Tackshaft 86, and gears 88 and 90, are driven by gear 92, operably engaging gear 90 and mounted rigidly on jack- In operation, the motor drives gear 96, thus turning jackshaft 94 and gears 92 on their axes. Gear 92 drives gear 90,.carrying along gear 88 welded to gear 90', and gear 88 turns gear 74. As gear 74 turns, idler gear 78 transfers power to gear 76. Gears, 74 and 76, welded or otherwise rigidly attached to their respective discs, turn driving discs 40, 42, 44 and 46. Thus, when gears 96 and 92 turn counterclockwise, as seen in FIGURE 10, the driving discs are moved counterclockwise, carrying along pusher plate 36. The pusher plate moves from the position shown in FIGURES and 11 downwardly toward-the back of truck 20. After leading edge 100 cuts into the refuse piled on bottom 101 of endgate 26, the pusher plate presses the refuse forward. As it moves, the trash piles up under the force of the resistancecreated by the refuse ahead of it, but it is prevented from falling back over pusher plate 36 by splash guard 62. Thus, the refuse is compacted while it is being forced into body 28 by the resistance of the material already in the trucks. To complete its cycle, pusher plate 36 rises out of the refuse and returns to the position shown in FIGURE 10, to start another cycle.- This whole operation is continuous and does notneed to stop at any time. Therefore the controls of the endgate may be very simple, consisting onlyof a start and stop button for the motor running,

amounts of liquid are included in the refuse.

As the pusher plate forces the refuse forward, the refuse moves under a guard 108, which includes a plate 110 spaced forwardly on the same horizontal plane as axle 80 of idler gear 78 and supported by member 112, connecting plate 110 and plate 114, which is welded to the sides of endgate 26 at 116. Plate 110 is welded to the sides of the endgate at 118 and a section 120 is hinged to the other end of plate 110 and kept from moving backward past a vertical position by triangular brace 122. In use, refuse pushed forward by pusher plate 36 is forced underneath guard 108 past hinged section 120. As the pile of refuse in the truck body grows, it is prevented from falling back into the endgate and loader by guard 108 and the incoming refuse below it. While the truck is moving, the loader may be stopped with pusher plate 36 blocking the space below the guard, splash guard 62 closing the space between back plate 60 and the rear end of plate 110.

Since only portion 118' of plate 110 and portion 116 of plate 114 are welded to'the endgate, while the portions of guard108'extending'into truck body 28 are not welded to the body, but are supported by the welded portions 116 and 118, when endgate 26 is raised about pivot 30,

guard 108 is carried along, and the entire back of the 'in FIGURES 11 and 12, and consists of a shield 130 parallel with the side of endgate 26 and in the same plane as the driving discs 42 and 46. It has holes 132 and 134 cut out of it in order to permit the operation of the mechanism, but the driving discs fit snugly in these holes in order that no refuse may work behind the shield to foul the gears. Shield is closed at one end by guard 108, and below the guard by an extension of the shield running to side wall 84 of the endgate. At the other end of the shield, the shield meets back 136 of the endgate, thus closing the entire mechanism of the loader and preventing any refuse from entering it. Preferably, however, an access hatch 138 or the like should be left in the shield on each side in order that the gears may be inspected and repaired if necessary, and the bearings oiled. The gears mounted on .jackshaft 94 are protected from refuse by wall 140 extending from roof 142 of body 28 of the truck to contact plate 114, and connected rigidly to the body of the truck to protect the gears behind it, both when the endgate is closed and the truck is being loaded and when the endgate is open and the truck is being dumped.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the endgate may be made larger, allowing more of the guard to be welded to its sides, as seen in FIGURE 11, thus strengthening the structure. Furthermore, in case .of need, jackshaft 86 may be moved out of the plane of axles 80 to allow jackshaft 94 to be moved more toward cab 24 of the truck.

I claim: 2

I. A refuse loader and compactor fora truck having a bed with a cover therefor, comprising'an endgate'pivoted to said cover, a pair of vertically spaced rotatable driving discs including :an upper and a lower disc on each side of said endgate, a single pusher plate having an upper and a lower edge, rotatable means near said upper edge connecting said pusher plate to said upper driving discs in the same relative position on each side of said endgate, rotatable means near said lower edge connecting said pusher plate to said lower driving discs in the same relative position on each side of said endgate, said pusher plate, driving discs, and first and second mentioned means being arranged to move said pusher plate in a circle while-maintaining said pusher plate in a vertical positionfa splash guard on said pusher plate near the upper edge thereof, a gear train for said driving discs, theinitial drive gear of said train being spaced above said rotatable driving discs and on the same axis as the pivot of said endgate, shielding separating said endgate from said truck bed, and shielding for said gear train to protect it from the pressure of refuse.

-2. A refuse loader and Compactor for a truck having a bed with a cover therefor, comprising an endgate pivoted to said cover, a pair of vertically spaced rotatable driving means including an upper and a lower means on each side of said endgate, a single pusher plate having an upper and a lower edge, means near said upper edge connecting said pusher plate to said upper driving means in the same relative position on each side of said endgate, means near saidv lower edge connecting said pusher plate to said lower driving means in the same relative position on each side of said endgate, said driving means, pusher plate, and first :and second mentioned means being arranged to move said pusher plate in a circle while maintaining said pusher plate in a vertical position, a splash guard near the upper edge on said pusher plate, means for powering said driving means including :a power delivery member having an axis, the axis of said member being coaxial with the pivot of said endgate to said cover, and shielding separating said endgate from said truck bed.

'3. A refuse loader and compactor for a truck having abed. with a cover therefor, comprising an endgate pivoted to said cover, a pair of vertically spaced rotatable driving members including an upper and a lower member on each side of said endgate, a single pusher plate having an upper and a lower edge, means near said-upper edge connecting said pusher plate to said upper driving members, means near said lower edge connecting said pusher plate to said lower driving members, said driving member's,

pusher plate, and said first and second mentioned means operating to move said pusher plate in a circle while maintaining said pusher plate in a vertical position, :a splash guard mounted on said pusher plate, power driving means for said driving members including a power delivery member having an axis, the axis of said member being coaxial with the pivot of said endgate to said cover, and shielding separating said endgate from said truck bed.

4. A refuse loader and c'ompactor for a truck having a bed, comprising an endgate pivoted to said bed, vertically spaced rotatable driving members on each side of said endgate, a single pusher plate, means connecting said pusher plate to said driving members and operating to move said pusher plate in a circle while maintaining said pusher plate in a vertical position, and power driving means for said driving members including a power transmission member having an axis, the axis of said member being spaced above in the same vertical plane as the axes of said rotatable driving members.

5. In a refuse collecting truck: a refuse loader and compactor comprising an endgate, a pair of vertically paced rotatable driving members including an upper and a lower member on each side of said endgate, a single pusher plate having an upper and a lower edge, means near said upper edge connecting said pusher plate to said upper driving members, and means near said lower edge connecting said pusher plate to said lower driving members, said driving 3 members, pusher plate, and :first and second mentioned means operating to move said pusher plate in a circle while maintaining said pusher plate in a vertical position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 327,741 True Oct. 6, 1885 2,201,959 Schmidt May 21, 1940 2,389,193 Graves Nov. 20, 1945 2,494,171 Goodman Ian. 10, 1950 2,675,138 Reitz Apr. 13, 1954 2,730,255 Gibson et a1 Ian. 10, 1956 2,777,593 Nelson Ian. 15, 1957 2,844,892 Carston July 29, 1958 2,939,594 Gwinn June 7, 1960 3,007,589 Galloway 'Nov. 7, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 899,765 Germany Dec. 14, 1953 

1. A REFUSE LOADER AND COMPACTOR FOR A TRUCK HAIVNG A BED WITH A COVER THEREFOR, COMPRISING AN ENDGATE PIVOTED TO SAID COVER, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED ROTATABLE DRIVING DISCS INCLUDING AN UPPER AND A LOWER DISC ON EACH SIDE OF SAID ENDGATE, A SINGLE PUSHER PLATE HAVING AN UPPER AND A LOWER EDGE, ROTATABLE MEANS NEAR AND UPPER EDGE CONNECTING SAID PUSHER PLATE TO SAID UPPER DRIVING DISCS IN THE SAME RELATIE POSITION ON EACH SIDE OF SAID ENDGATE, ROTATABLE MEANS NEAR SAID LOWER EDGE CONNECTING SAID PUSHER PLATE TO SAID LOWER DRIVING DISC IN THE SAME RELATIVE POSITION ON EACH SIDE OF SAID ENDGATE, SAID PUSHER PLATE DRIVING 